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notsobinaryart's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
kaitlinnoodles's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A thoroughly entertaining and hilarious read, with a lot of engaging literary layers and pop culture references (plus women in STEM fields!). I love the way the author gives positive, confident agency to fat characters. However, there isn’t a lot of body diversity (or any other kind) outside of the main character.
The narrator for the audiobook is excellent.
The sex scenes are descriptively explicit but, aside from the fanfic blurbs, there are only 2-3 scenes, none with significant kink.
The narrator for the audiobook is excellent.
The sex scenes are descriptively explicit but, aside from the fanfic blurbs, there are only 2-3 scenes, none with significant kink.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
courtney__bernard's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was such a cute, fast and spicy read! I really enjoyed that the characters had developed a friendship with each other before their official meet-cute. Marcus seemed to be a bundle of nervous energy at all times which, honestly same. The inclusion of fanfiction seemed genuine and like the author was part of the community and really understood what it is people love about ao3.
A very refreshing romance book where April stands up for herself and demands the love that she deserves not in spite of her size but because she is a wonderful person who deserves to be loved no matter what. The spicy scenes were also really good, not too graphic but gives you the descriptions you want to see or hear in my case.
The author handles family dynamics with class and doesn't fall into the trope that you must love your parents because they are your parents even when they hurt you. Boundaries are important in every aspect of your life and to see two characters navigate that relationship change is a wonderful change. Forgiving people for what they have done in the past is great but that does not mean you should allow them to continue hurting you, I loved to see healthy relationships outside the main relationship.
The audiobook narrator Isabelle Ruther is great, she was able to bring the characters to life and felt like they were real people. She also had a quick pace so I didn't have to do my typical 2x the speed, so really enjoyed that as well.
🌶️ Spice Meter 🌶️ : 4 out of 5 Peppers
Final Thoughts: Overall this was a cute, quick, fluffy read and I enjoyed myself and the scenes. A good amount of spice helped move the plot along and was not there just to be there.
TW: Body shaming, Fatphobia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Emotional abuse and Misogyny
emilywrayburn's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first third or maybe half was good. The smut was really good. Then the characters started really bugging me. This was going to get a lower rating from me but it redeemed itself a bit in the end when the characters actually acknowledged some of their flaws that were really bothering me.
Marcus was too perfect. April's characterisation was a bit inconsistent. I didn't entirely buy the romance. They just seemed to go from not particularly attracted to one another to super-duper attracted to one another in a very short amount of time, without anything to really suggest why. And Marcus held off on telling her about his fandom persona for so long.
I liked what the book did with themes of emotional abuse (and how you don't owe family anything just because they "love you") and fatphobia and dealing with that. Though Marcus' parents were so awful they felt like caricatures.
The scripts, excerpts from fanfics and scenes from previous fandom server chats somewhat served a purpose but only just.
I have never watched Game of Thrones so I didn't pick up the parallels between this book and GoT fandom, but it skeeves me out if this book in itself is a bit of an author self-insert fic with the serial numbers filed off? Too meta! And a bit weird. Even when I was involved with fandoms, I could never quite warm to real person fic.
Marcus was too perfect. April's characterisation was a bit inconsistent. I didn't entirely buy the romance. They just seemed to go from not particularly attracted to one another to super-duper attracted to one another in a very short amount of time, without anything to really suggest why. And Marcus held off on telling her about his fandom persona for so long.
I liked what the book did with themes of emotional abuse (and how you don't owe family anything just because they "love you") and fatphobia and dealing with that. Though Marcus' parents were so awful they felt like caricatures.
The scripts, excerpts from fanfics and scenes from previous fandom server chats somewhat served a purpose but only just.
I have never watched Game of Thrones so I didn't pick up the parallels between this book and GoT fandom, but it skeeves me out if this book in itself is a bit of an author self-insert fic with the serial numbers filed off? Too meta! And a bit weird. Even when I was involved with fandoms, I could never quite warm to real person fic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
aprilyvonne's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
“Spoiler Alert” by Olivia Dade was a really fun read. I don’t know why I’m always so hesitant to read romance, but I’m slowly being won over apparently. This novel was full of funny, spicy, and intelligent characters. The book delved in many important topics such as fat shaming, learning disabilities, sexism, beauty standards, problem parents, and the quirkiness of fanfic. I can’t say I ever got into reading fan fiction, but this read sparked my interest a little.
At times, I felt like things moved along too quickly with our main characters. Yet, that was also part of the charm - a whirlwind romance between a tv star and fan does make for a good story. Even the combination of a tv series based a book series based on Greek Mythology as part of plot added a lot of layers that a reader would appreciate.
Overall, I enjoyed this much more than I anticipated - not because I thought it wouldn’t be good. But, it contained relatable struggles and toxic views in society that should be addressed. There was a lot of spice, in case that’s a reason for some of you to read it or avoid it. Just keep in mind there’s some sweet mixed in as well. Lol
Oh, and I loved the main character’s name!! ☺️
Happy reading! 📚
“Spoiler Alert” by Olivia Dade was a really fun read. I don’t know why I’m always so hesitant to read romance, but I’m slowly being won over apparently. This novel was full of funny, spicy, and intelligent characters. The book delved in many important topics such as fat shaming, learning disabilities, sexism, beauty standards, problem parents, and the quirkiness of fanfic. I can’t say I ever got into reading fan fiction, but this read sparked my interest a little.
At times, I felt like things moved along too quickly with our main characters. Yet, that was also part of the charm - a whirlwind romance between a tv star and fan does make for a good story. Even the combination of a tv series based a book series based on Greek Mythology as part of plot added a lot of layers that a reader would appreciate.
Overall, I enjoyed this much more than I anticipated - not because I thought it wouldn’t be good. But, it contained relatable struggles and toxic views in society that should be addressed. There was a lot of spice, in case that’s a reason for some of you to read it or avoid it. Just keep in mind there’s some sweet mixed in as well. Lol
Oh, and I loved the main character’s name!! ☺️
Happy reading! 📚
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny
things100's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
April and Marcus story is so cute full of ups and downs and tackles issues from fatphobia to toxic relationships with parents. This book was funny and sweet but also so incredibly important with all the representation that it showed and it’s depiction that whether you’re fat or dyslexic, etc you are worthy of love 💕
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, and Alcohol
jmross10's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is a fanfic writers dream. I love the way it showcases the culture and brings people together, while also explaining WHY it’s a thing instead of treating it like a silly hobby to be ashamed of.
The love story is cute though much smuttier than I expected. It feels like the whole middle section of the book is just them hooking up. I’m not opposed to that but given the insecurities that Dade explores with her characters (body images / learning disability / familial acceptance), I personally wish there was more intimacy. It seemed like every time they said something vulnerable they were falling into bed immediately after.
The highlight of this book for me is definitely Marcus. The conversation around his dyslexia and how that impacted him really made me think. It’s an interesting subject that most people probably don’t consider because they don’t have those same struggles.
I’d love to say I felt as strongly about April and body image. Spoiler alert: I don’t. To me, it felt inconsistent. In the beginning she’s self aware and empowered. She knows how people feel about her weight but she doesn’t seem to be terribly bothered. By the end it feels like Marcus’ interest in her validates her beauty and desirability instead of the fact she’s capable, kind, and intelligent. It undermined what I thought the message was supposed to be and turned it into “well a hot actor wants me so….”.
Overall, I think it was a good book and I can see why it’s liked. It was just really hit/miss for me.
The love story is cute though much smuttier than I expected. It feels like the whole middle section of the book is just them hooking up. I’m not opposed to that but given the insecurities that Dade explores with her characters (body images / learning disability / familial acceptance), I personally wish there was more intimacy. It seemed like every time they said something vulnerable they were falling into bed immediately after.
The highlight of this book for me is definitely Marcus. The conversation around his dyslexia and how that impacted him really made me think. It’s an interesting subject that most people probably don’t consider because they don’t have those same struggles.
I’d love to say I felt as strongly about April and body image. Spoiler alert: I don’t. To me, it felt inconsistent. In the beginning she’s self aware and empowered. She knows how people feel about her weight but she doesn’t seem to be terribly bothered. By the end it feels like Marcus’ interest in her validates her beauty and desirability instead of the fact she’s capable, kind, and intelligent. It undermined what I thought the message was supposed to be and turned it into “well a hot actor wants me so….”.
Overall, I think it was a good book and I can see why it’s liked. It was just really hit/miss for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
_book_nook_'s review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Sooo I read these out of order. I read All the Feels first and honestly liked it more. It kind of felt like Marcus grew a lot more than April and his character was more developed. Still love the awareness and issues addressed in this story and the overall plot. If I hadn't read them out of order I would probably have rated this one higher. Sorry Marcus but Alex is my everything ❤️ OH and this one lacked the comedic factor to me and I found myself missing a giggle every now and then.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny
uranaishi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol
christas_catalog's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Emotional abuse and Misogyny